Derivation of the botanical name:
Picris Greek picros, bitter, from the bitter taste of the plant.
amalecitana, Amalek, a tribe dwelling originally in the region south of Judah in Biblical times.
intermedia, intermediate
Hagioseris, Greek ἅγιος hágios, "sacred, devoted to the gods," seris, endive, chicory.
ox-tongue, from the shape of the leaves.

The standard author abbreviation Eig is used to indicate Alexander Eig (1894 – 1938), a botanist, one of the first plant researchers in Israel, head of department for Botanics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and co-founder of Jerusalem Botanical Gardens on Mount Scopus.

Picris amalecitana is endemic to Israel, Sinai beaches and the coast of south Lebanon. Sands is one of its habitats.